Care Dimensions volunteer Nancy Donaldson with her dog Wilson.

Pet Therapy Volunteers Bring Joy and Peace

As a pet therapy volunteer, you bring some joy to people in a time where they need a little happiness in their lives. It’s not just the patients, but also their families, especially children and grandchildren, who might be a little nervous to visit their loved one on hospice. Nothing brings a smile to them like a friendly furry face.

My 11-year-old Labrador retriever, Wilson, and I have been making pet therapy visits for about four years now. He's always been a calm dog and my daughter, who was a nurse at Care Dimensions, was the one who suggested that we try pet therapy. We got him certified as a “canine good citizen” and I went through the volunteer training program. Overall, it was a fairly easy process to get started, and it has become such a rewarding experience.

Pet therapy volunteers can visit patients wherever they live; Wilson and I visit at the Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln about once a week. Some days, we have lots of patients to see and other days, it’s just one or two. Visits can go for 5 minutes or 15-20 minutes. It all really depends on the patient and how engaged they are with Wilson.

Earlier this year, I met a patient who was very shy and not sure what a pet therapy visit would be like. But each week, when I came back to say hello, she was more and more at ease. After a few visits, a social worker spotted me when I arrived at the hospice house and said “Oh she’ll be so happy to see you! Wilson makes her so happy.” Those kinds of days are what this is all about.

Another patient that I vividly remember is a woman who was nearing death, but still awake and communicating. On one of her last days, she said she wanted to see a dog because she had loved dogs throughout her life. I was able to come in and sit with her for a half hour. I later found out that after I left, the patient asked to go outside for some fresh air, and then she wanted a massage (massage therapy is another service that is offered by Care Dimensions). The family said spending time with Wilson made her realize there were some other things she wanted to do before it was too late. That’s what a pet therapy dog can do for people. It’s amazing.

The nature of this role is that you form strong, short-term relationships with people. There was one patient who was at the house for about six months, which is much longer than average. I not only became close to her, but also her whole family. I most likely will never see them again. But I know I was able to bring happiness to their hospice journey and they’ll have some positive memories of the experience. That’s what makes this so meaningful to me.

Learn how you can become a pet therapy volunteer with Care Dimensions: CareDimensions.org/Pets